Chapter Thirty-Eight
Wise men talk when they have something to say.
Fools talk because they have to say something.
Chance wondered who said that? Maybe Plato. Maybe his grandma. Either way, he wasn’t sure if it was wise or foolish to be so blunt with Jane.
She jumped from her chair and tossed the book aside. “We should go inside.”
Jane didn’t wait for him to agree. She turned and left him in her tracks. Nothing he’d said or done had gone according to his plan. He glanced at the book one more time, still very interested, and followed her up a set of stairs that led onto a deck.
She left the sliding glass door ajar, and he stepped into a bright, white kitchen. The vaulted ceilings and stainless-steel appliances made the room cold. His hotel kitchenette had more character and could fit in the space occupied by the kitchen island.
“Do people eat in here?” he asked.
Jane stood on the far side of the island. Her fingers clutched the beveled granite edge. “Sometimes.”
He gave the room another assessment. He supposed it was well designed, but in his opinion, it came off as clinical. “Does anyone cook in here?” He opened the refrigerator, shocked to find food neatly stored.
“They have a chef and staff to do that.”
“Have you ever seen Dax or Gigi cook?”
Jane shrugged.
“Never?” He always thought of a kitchen as the central hub of a home. Even in his hotel room. Every conversation started over a beer or can of dinner. “That’s strange.”
“This isn’t a normal place. If you saw everyone here, it would look different.”
“Why did you stay when everyone else is gone?” he asked, thinking about his luck.
“It happens. I didn’t expect Teddy to go with his aunt.” She shifted around the island as though the conversation made her forget her need for distance. “I’m the house sitter, I guess. They didn’t want anyone to know they had snuck away.”
“Weird.”
She agreed. “So… You know why I’m here.”
He pulled out a barstool chair with a high back and sat. “They have security concerns and contacted our office.”
Jane seemed to think that over, then turned for a cabinet, took out two glasses and removed a pitcher of lemonade from a small refrigerator that he thought had been a dishwasher. She filled the first one and paused. “I thought your team doesn’t work in the US.”
“We usually don’t.” He watched her gaze narrow slightly. Did she believe him? He tacked on, “It was a special request.”
She finished pouring the lemonade and placed one in front of him.
Chance sized up her reaction before he took a small sip. “You really didn’t know I was coming?”
Her eyebrows arched. “Does it look like I knew?”
Sure? What the hell did he know? “You would look different?”
Jane pressed her lips together. “I didn’t know.”
“Gigi hired me. She asked for me by name.”
Her eyes widened with surprise, and her mouth opened. A long moment crawled by. “Excuse me?” Jane blinked and then her forehead furrowed. “I didn’t know you two had met.”
“We didn’t.”
“Then how…?” A bright blush flamed over her cheeks. “Oh my God.” The glass of lemonade trembled in her hand. She set it down. “Do you think that I have something to do with that?” She gripped the edge of the island counter. “After what happened between us?”
It’d be a lie to say he hadn’t wondered.
It would’ve been equally false to ignore his interest in seeing Jane again.
Jane wasn’t manipulative, and they’d been clear that they wouldn’t see each other again.
If she had been involved in Gigi’s request, he would have been flattered—as much as it would’ve made him uncomfortable.
Chance lifted his shoulders. “I think it was hard for Titan to deny the Thanes’s request.”
“Story of my life,” Jane muttered. “What they say goes.”
“Did you mention me to Gigi?”
Her cheeks reddened. “No. We don’t talk like that.”
“Okay.” He stood from the barstool, taking his time to approach Jane. “I believe you.”
Jane rolled her eyes. “If I had told her, she would’ve found a way to exploit it—” Her gaze cut back to him. “Did you tell anyone…” She rolled her hand and looked away.
“That I kissed you?”
She straightened as though his words had taken her by surprise.
Chance eased closer. “No.”
“Of course not.” Her chin dropped as she stepped away. “I don’t know why you would—”
Chance cut off her escape with a strong hand on her hip.
Jane’s breath hitched. She didn’t look up even as he closed the remaining inches, clasping his hand on her other hip.
Their chemistry was off the damn charts, yet she kept running away.
How could she ignore the searing desire pouring between them?
“Are you upset about what happened in the elevator?” If so, he would get to the bottom of that.
“You don’t need to coddle me or explain yourself or why—”
“Jane, stop.”
Her eyes shot to his. “Stop what?”
Jane didn’t see what she did to him. Hell, she didn’t see what he saw. Pouty lips that could make his dick twitch. Kind eyes and a sexy attitude. His arousal blinded him to everything except for her. The more he stared, the more he could feel her uncertainty about him.
A dull ache hollowly thudded in his chest. He pressed his hips to her.
Her eyes widened. There was no mistaking his swollen thickness.
Chance didn’t imagine her naked; he didn’t need to taste her sweet mouth.
Simple proximity to this woman was enough to drive him over the edge. “Stop pretending I don’t want you.”
Her eyelashes fluttered. The rise and fall of her chest grew more noticeable.
“Because I do.” Chance touched his mouth to her pink cheek. “I want you.” The softness of her skin twisted him in knots. “In more ways than I know how to explain.”
“Chance.”
The quiver in her breathy voice ignited a wave of goosebumps down his back.
With a painfully lazy slowness, he grazed his lips over her cheek, nuzzling over her skin until he could nip her earlobe.
But he didn’t. Not yet. Jane would first understand that the way he needed her was basic, carnal, and desperate.
Somewhere at the back of his mind, he recalled wanting to talk, to make certain they were on the same page.
But now he knew a conversation wouldn’t work, and he would prove to her that his words weren’t meaningless.
He couldn’t do that without her, though.
His warm breath teased behind her earlobe. “Put your arms around me.”
For once, Jane didn’t hesitate. Her hands locked behind his neck. She lifted her chin and met his gaze. Time stilled. They pressed together, and Chance watched her until he saw her understanding shift.
“Thank you.” He let the word linger, almost pressing his lips to hers. The anticipation of another kiss made him feverish. He wanted her mouth, her tongue. Chance wanted her pussy to quake on his cock. But for now, he would revel as Jane found her trust in him.
Impossibly, they seemed closer and yet too far apart. Their lips touched. Heat ignited, wicking over his nerves. Unlike in the elevator, he was certain they’d kiss again. Chance didn’t greedily take what he needed. He savored every one of her delicious reactions.
She opened her mouth to his, and their tongues touched, danced, slowly memorizing the feel and taste of their mouths together. Needy murmurs burned from her lips. Jane had surrendered to their drawing power. When she let go, he shivered with an awareness that went far beyond physical needs.
He lifted Jane onto the granite countertop, and her thighs wrapped around his hips, giving him irresistible access.
He ached for her pussy. He would die with that first thrust and when she climaxed on his cock.
The satisfaction wouldn’t come soon enough—yet he refused to rush.
Chance opened his eyes and inched back. She was everything he hadn’t known existed.
“What?” Jane asked quietly.
He grinned and rolled his lips together. Just minutes ago, she’d been ready to run. “You listened.”
Jane didn’t shy away or steal her gaze from his when she smiled. “Sometimes I do.”